


A Ring and a Plan

by Ehlana



Category: The Strange Case of Starship Iris (Podcast)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 11:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11252658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ehlana/pseuds/Ehlana
Summary: "Actually, Krejjh, man, listen. I was hoping we could talk about something. You know how we've been together over a year now? Well, it's been the best year of my life, even with all the... evading authorities. I love you, like, a lot, and I've been thinking...""What if I upgraded my flight goggles?" Krejjh asked, pointing to the now-antique apparel they wore pushed up on their forehead. "Or, no, maybe if I dyed my hair? What would you think if I went with... green?""You'd look great. It would be very cool. But what I was trying to --""Ooh, and a mohawk! Yeah! How about that?"Brian sighed.(Almost a year before the crew of the Rumor meets Violet Liu, Captain Tripathi and Arkady make a drop-off while Brian and Krejjh discuss their relationship. Or try to, anyway.)





	A Ring and a Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This extraordinarily fluffy story is the first piece of fanfic I've ever written, much less published. Please be kind. :)

Brian reached into the pocket of his hoodie with one hand and fidgeted with the small metal box he carried there. Too late he realized his mistake -- he could tell that the sweat on his hands had already left smudges and fingerprints on the smooth gold and silver surface. Removing his hand from his hoodie, Brian grasped the box through the thick fabric and rubbed it around, frantically trying to polish it on the inside of his pocket. His other hand held Krejjh's.

"Shouldn't Captain Tripathi and First Mate Patel be back by now? I mean -- not that I'm complaining. I've got a good-lookin' fella by my side! But it's been almost three hours," Krejjh lamented.

"Nah, Arkady said drop-offs on Meitner can be kinda tricky, with all the extra surveillance they have here. I wouldn't worry yet," Brian assured them.

"Oh I'm not _worried_. I'm _bored_. All the planets around here are so close together! I can't wait until we head to Jemison so I can do some _real_ flying again. I'm tired of being a poodle-dumper."

"Puddle jumper?"

"...Sure, if you say so." Krejjh's expression flitted into "amused" territory before making a U-turn back to determination. "I want to do something _exciting_. Like outrun an explosion. Or dodge space-pirate particle beams. Or give a nice big 'So long, suckers!' to... what's that last mafia you angered?"

"Uhhh... Kineddleek?"

"Yeah! Those fellas! I mean, it's not your fault you mis-translated 'The money is buried at the southwest corner of the Capitol building on Elion' as 'You don't have the guts to pull the trigger,' is it?" Krejjh paused to consider that for a moment. "Well, maybe it's a little your fault. But still! That was _awesome_. We should do that again!"

"Actually, Krejjh, man, listen. I was hoping we could talk about something. You know how we've been together over a year now? Well, it's been the best year of my life, even with all the... evading authorities. I love you, like, a _lot_ , and I've been thinking..."

At this point it became clear that Krejjh wasn't really listening. "Maybe I just need some change in my life, you know?" they said. "What if I upgraded my flight goggles?" Krejjh asked, pointing to the now-antique apparel they wore pushed up on their forehead. "Or, no, maybe if I dyed my hair? What would you think if I went with... green?"

"You'd look great. It would be very cool. But what I was trying to --"

"Ooooh, and a mohawk! Yeah! How about that?"

Brian sighed. "Dude, you know I'd love you no matter what you look like. Even in fifty years when you're old and your hair turns orange." Krejjh's natural hair color was a shimmering silvery-white, but Brian had seen enough elderly Dwarnians in the Neutral Zone to know one day Krejjh's hair would likely be the color of a cantaloupe, creating a stark contrast with their purple skin. If the thrill-seeker even lived that long.

"Wait, Crewman Jeeter, I've got it! We should get married!" With Krejjh's enthusiasm and casualness, they could have just as easily said "We should get pizza!"

Brian just stared for a moment. He clutched the box in his pocket a little tighter as he tried to formulate a response, but Krejjh kept talking.

"I mean, not right now of course... blah blah violation of intergalactic law blah blah... but once we can. As soon as we can. What do you think?"

"Krejjh, dude," Brian sighed a bit. "Yeah. I mean, yes. That would be awesome. We totally should."

"I'm serious, you know! I'm not just saying that to add some excitement to my life. So if you're saying yes, you better mean it!" Krejjh insisted.

"I mean it! Actually, you know, the thing is... I was planning to ask you the same thing. See, I even have -- the thing is, it's an old Earth tradition, but if you don't like it, you don't have to -- I mean. Here. I got this for you." Brian removed the elaborately adorned shining box from his pocket and handed it to Krejjh.

"Wow, Crewman Jeeter this is beautiful!" Krejjh turned the box over several times in their hands, holding it up so it caught the light, and running their fingers over the painstaking metalwork on the top and bottom. "I'll treasure it forever. But what, uh, what exactly is it?"

"You're supposed to open it," Brian chuckled.

Krejjh found the hinges, and gently pulled the lid up. "It's a ring," Brian explained. "You can wear it, if you want to, or not, I don't know if it would interfere with piloting, but I picked it out for you. It's carved out of a meteorite." Krejjh put it on their index finger and held it up to the light streaming in through the cockpit window from both of Meitner's suns. The silvery ring was mottled with gold-amber jewels that sparkled and shimmered.

"It's perfect, Crewman Jeeter, but... where did you get this? You can't possibly afford this, can you?"

"Well, you see, about that..." Brian scratched the back of his head and looked at his shoes. "I got it from... the cargo hold? It wasn't part of any shipment, though, so no one's gonna miss it. There's a whole container filled with stuff like this, just loot that's been on the ship forever to trade in case we ever need to."

"Won't Captain Tripathi realize it's gone?"

"Haha, dude, she's the one who helped me pick it out! She was so sure you'd like it, said it matched your style. She said we could call it an early wedding present."

Krejjh pondered for a moment, and a mischievous smile spread across their face. "Crewman Jeeter, I have something for you, too." They rifled through a corner of the cockpit that had been crammed with miscellaneous items, and when they returned, placed a somewhat large pink glob in Brian's palm. It was sticky.

"Uh, thanks, dude..." said Brian, as he turned the mass over.

"It's a Dwarnian custom. To propose... well, Dwarnians don't have the same sort of marriages that humans do, but to propose a formal agreement of partnership, one member presents the other with a Gwareh-Thresslix hatchling egg to care for, by keeping it warm and making sure it doesn't dry out. The day it hatches is when the ceremony is performed. They raise the hatchling together for one year, and on their first anniversary, they celebrate by eating it."

"What? Krejjh, man, I've read a _lot_ of Dwarnian literature, and I talked to a _bunch_ of Dwarnians out in Neuzo, but I can't say that I've _ever_ heard --"

"Hahahahahaha," Krejjh cackled, cutting him off. "I'm just messing with you, Crewman Jeeter. That's my collection of chewing gum." They paused. "Also, I'm going to need that back." Brian scraped a couple extra sticky strands from his hand and returned it.

"This is what I really wanted to give you," Krejjh said as they removed a golden hoop from their ear. "We should both have rings."

"Awww, dude..." Brian leaned in and had just touched his lips to Krejjh's when the comms jingled.

"Sana Tripathi to Krejjh." She sounded out of breath.

"Yes, Captain Tripathi?"

"Bad news. Long story short, they tried to lowball us and Arkady got a little stabby. We've got the Tamiro _and_ the Meitner police force on our tails, but Arkady says she can hold them off long enough for us to run back to the ship, but we'll have to leave immediately. We should be there in three minutes. Krejjh, can you be ready to take off as soon as we're in the door?"

"Aye aye, Captain."

"Thank you, Krejjh. No, Arkady! Killing him is not the -- Sana Tripathi out."

Krejjh winked exaggeratedly at Brian and fired up the engines. "Cowabunga, dude."


End file.
